In professional fireworks displays, it is known that the person assembling the pyrotechnic devices for the display (the “pyrotechnician”) may mount such devices to a mounting board or platform to facilitate their launch or may arrange such devices on the ground in the launch area. In some instances, the pyrotechnician may employ a controller that initiates the ignition of the pyrotechnic devices using electrical conductors, such as electrical matches (“e-matches”). Typically, such controller housings include a plurality of electrical contacts on an upper or side surface readily accessible to the pyrotechnician, so that the e-matches or fuses from the individual pyrotechnic devices are easily attached during set up in the field. In some instances, an electrical charge is transmitted to a heating coil, which requires significant input from a large power supply (such as eight D-cell batteries).
The controller is usually operated by a remote control specific for this purpose, which is wired directly to the controller or which communicates wirelessly to the controller from a safe operating distance. In many instances, the pyrotechnician presses a button for the ignition of the pyrotechnic devices, relying on his own understanding of the time that each pyrotechnic device lasts to determine when to initiate the next pyrotechnic device, or relying on an automated script embedded within the controller that has been programmed to initiate the next pyrotechnic device.
Clearly, while such sophisticated, computer-controlled firing systems are useful for professional pyrotechnicians, their significant cost and complexity are significant drawbacks to amateur fireworks enthusiasts and those consumers that use fireworks occasionally for entertainment or celebration of a special occasion.
The occasional fireworks consumer and the amateur fireworks enthusiast may perceive several impediments to their enjoyment of self-run pyrotechnic displays. First, the consumer may be concerned with the safety of setting up and igniting multiple pyrotechnic devices. The consumer may be unfamiliar with safe practices for arranging pyrotechnic devices relative to one another and for igniting the pyrotechnic devices in an efficient manner without sustaining an injury or causing property damage.
Additionally, the more casual consumer may feel uncomfortable selecting an array of pyrotechnic devices necessary to produce a high quality pyrotechnic display. With the large number of pyrotechnic devices available to consumers in stores, in catalogs, and on websites, the individual consumer trying to design a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing show may easily feel overwhelmed.
Finally, while professional pyrotechnicians are experienced with wiring pyrotechnic devices to a central control module for ignition, many consumers may feel uncertain about their ability to successfully wire the devices to a firing system—even if the consumers are able to afford it. For most consumers, it is economically infeasible to purchase a sophisticated computer-controlled firing system and remote device for igniting a pyrotechnic display, which may cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, especially if they intend only to produce a single pyrotechnic display for a special occasion.
It would be useful, therefore, to provide a consumer-ready pyrotechnic display system having a pyrotechnic module in which the pyrotechnic devices are pre-selected, secured in an orientation ready for ignition, and, ideally, pre-wired to a control module. It would further be useful for the control module to include a memory storing an internal script executable by a processor within the control module, such that the consumer or a technician does not have to select and engage the devices himself. Moreover, it would be useful for the electrical contacts and e-matches to be hidden or located on the bottom of the control module housing and mounting surface, respectively, to reduce the likelihood of the e-matches becoming dislodged and to discourage tampering by an inexperienced consumer.
In another aspect, it would be useful to provide a pyrotechnic display system in which the pyrotechnic module includes a set of pre-selected pyrotechnic devices that are secured to a mounting surface and pre-wired into a common plug, which the consumer or pyrotechnician may engage with a corresponding plug from the control module. Such a system would provide a safe means of forming the electrical connection between the control module and the pyrotechnic devices, using plugs that are familiar to most consumers and thereby eliminating the need for the consumer to wire the pyrotechnic devices to the control module himself.
Additionally, it would be useful to provide an application for a cellular telephone or other ubiquitous “smart” device to communicate with the control module to initiate the launch of the pyrotechnic devices into a professional-looking display, thus eliminating the need for a special, single-purpose remote.
The present disclosure addresses these needs.